Counting Down 15 Top HS Sports Stories from EYT Media Area: No. 7 Clarion/C-L Combine Football Programs

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published July 9, 2019 4:20 am
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c-l-clarionCLARION, Pa. (D9Sports) — Over the next few weeks we will take a look at the Top 15 stories to impact the EYT Media coverage area (exploreClarion.com, exploreVenango.com, exploreJeffersonpa.com

(Photo by Kyle Yates www.facebook.com/YatesPhoto)

NO. 7 — CLARION/CLARION-LIMESTONE COMBINE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS

With a population drain hitting the tri-county area, it is only inevitable that more and more schools will be entering into sports cooperative (co-op) agreements.

A big one occurred in January when the Clarion and Clarion-Limestone School Boards voted to create a co-op program between the two rival football giants.

What does it mean?

It means that schools that have combined to win eight District 9 titles (four each) while finishing second in District 9 13 additional times (nine by Clarion and four by C-L) since the District implemented a football playoff system in 1987 will now play together as one team (while also being joined by North Clarion, which has played the last number of seasons in a co-op with Clarion) forming a potential powerhouse team.

The reason behind the co-op, however, had nothing to do with forming a “super team” as the numbers at both programs have dwindled over the years to the point where C-L students might not have been able to compete in football in 2019 without the co-op.

As the co-op comes in the middle of a classification cycle, Clarion will serve as the host in 2019 with games split between Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium (Clarion’s home field) and Clarion-Limestone High School Football Field with the team known as the “Bobcats” for 2019. Efforts are underway to rebrand the team, which will be a Class 2A school for 2019, the same as Clarion was in 2018, for the 2020 season and beyond.

The process actually started during the 2018 season when the junior high programs of the two schools combined to form one program.

The new Clarion, C-L, North Clarion co-op is one of eight co-op football program in District 9. The others including the aforementioned Union/A-C Valley merger, Ridgway/Johnsonburg (Ridgway as the host), Otto-Eldred/Oswayo Valley (Otto-Eldred as the host), Sheffield and Abraxas (Sheffield as the host), Coudersport/Austin (Coudersport as the host), Brockway/DuBois Central Catholic (Brockway as the host) and Kane/East Forest (Kane as the host).

TOP 15 EYT MEDIA SPORTS STORIES FROM 2018-19 SCHOOL YEAR

7. Clarion/C-L Combine Football Programs
8. Curwensville Head Coach Andy Evanko Passes Away
9. Newcomb Sets D9’s Single-Season Rushing Mark
10. Franklin Baseball Wins D10 Title, Advances to PIAA Semifinals
11. Young Clearfield Softball Team Reaches PIAA Semifinals
12. Cranberry Softball Goes to PIAA Semifinals
13. A-C Valley Girls’ Basketball Wins KSAC Title; Advances to PIAA Quarterfinals
14. Oil City’s Emma Stevenson wins 1,600-meter run at District 10 championship
15. Clarion Volleyball Wins D9 Title Advances to PIAA Quarterfinals

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